I was called by a couple to evaluate what might be causing a problem with their condo. Over the phone I heard, "You know there's an odor, but you don't know why."

Everyone notices it. There is no mold in the house. There are no stains. It is persistent. We notice it as soon as we walk inside.

I heard this over and over during the conversation.

It had rained just a bit over night.

Getting there is the morning the first thing I did was look at the outside.

I noticed three things.

First, a lot of square footage of roof came down one downspout. You can see this downspout on the right center of the photo.

Second, it drains onto a small metal roof (good quality) but that the gutter is inclined improperly.

Notice how the gutter angles down and away from the downspout into which it drains?

Third, the brick work is wet, stained and mossy above and to the left of their living room window. This has been happening for a while! Is water getting into the unit?

It was then that I rang the doorbell!

Yes, I noticed upon entering, there is an odor! And mostly in the living room near the door. It disappears when I went up and into the second level of the condo.

But I was pretty sure I knew why.

It was time for Mighty Mo!

When I break out the camera, I always demonstrate its power a bit for the client. I show them the wall, on which they see nothing in the camera view screen. Then, with a full hand, I touch the wall for less than 1/2 second and show them a very clear hand print at where I touched!

The thermal camera sees in tenths of a degree. Even though my hand print is only slightly warmer than the surrounding wall, the hand print is exceptionally clear and will linger for about a minute.

Clients love to look over my shoulder. They were VERY IMPRESSED to see what was going on with their wall. And to see my moisture meter register nearly 30% moisture. That is after a small rain.

When it rains a lot, imagine how much water comes down that one lonely downspout onto that small metal shed roof! And how much of that, therefore, is encouraged into the brick wall and the condo!

I think that's what is smelling!

Looking around the neighborhood, how many similar small gutters did you think I saw!!

The condo association people are going to LOVE to get my report!

My recommendation: odors are among the most challenging things home inspectors are called on to investigate. There have been times where I was unable to determine the source. But in this case, it seems pretty obvious to me. So, call a home inspector to at least try to find out! And remember, thermographers are all really cute.

Oh the joy of shared walls....your clients were fortunate it was a problem specific to their wall and not a shared one - that can lead to a difficult neighbor and/or HOA and can create more headaches than anyone would want to deal with. Townhomes can be wonderful, but they do come with their own issues that are different from detached homes.

Risky advertising that all thermgraphers are cute...you are going to be having a lot of husbands/significant others not wanting you around their spouses!

This particular wall is the exterior one Lisa, which means they share it with the condo! I think this is a condo problem/repair! And nobody has anything to worry about around their spouses! FYI...

Mike - this could have happened over time and the condo is not paying attention. Frankly, I see such gutter inclination often on the multi-level condo buildings. At this point, seven years after the building's construction, it is hard to diagnose why. With all that water, it might just be weight.

Actually, Im not surprised by a contractor making this kind of mistake. When a good size project is done, it is easy to miss this kind of error. Some of the labor people that get hired to do these jobs, do not focus on details, they focus on getting the work done and getting paid.

I lost count of the number of homes I've shown and sold that had gutters that defied simple gravity. GEEZ! Even a lowly real estate agent can spot this and has many time. I enjoy telling a new home builder "That gutter isn't draining to that downspout".

Joe - I don't know if this is a mistaken installation, or from poor instllation with the spikes. But it is all over the development! A lot of these builders employ what I call 7-11 construction and this is usually the result of that.

Reblogged with this intro...
Have you heard of a thermographer before? Bet you will remember what they are and what they do after reading this! Need to discover the source of a smell in a home that cannot be seen or determined? Here is a cute tool and clever plan!

Hi Jay. Is that normal for a down spout to be placed there? It just looks odd there. Its amazing when the development was constructed that the county inspectors or whom ever didn't think it was an issue.

Very interesting and you're right the HOA is going to love your find - ha! Seems as though the culprit has been uncovered, and now the fix should be rather easy...and one the owners will be glad to know about.

Great article and very helpful in educating realtors and home buyers to the items we need to see on a home inspection. I will be sure to check the SMELL section to make sure the inpsector is using that "cool tool". :)

Once a Seller of mine had an odor in their home that they couldn't detect. Solid weeks they searched. Turned out it was a pack of hamburger meat that had somehow slid behind the shelves in the fridge and had gone bad. I was so thankful that they found that at a time when I wasn't there to help them in the search. Gross.

Most smells are bad news. Last week I went into a house, and my nose actually started burning from the smell! If that isn't mold, I don't want to know what it is. Two days later it was under contract? What are they thinking?

Jay, That is amazing! This has to be one of those love / hate things. They love you because you found the area of smell, but hate you because now it's going to cost them to remedy the situation. I'm sure there will be a positive outcome though!

Here in southern California mold is the nemesis of many real estate transactions, along with stubborn HOA's. As to odors they are so hard at time to pin down. One home that I had an inspection on found dead carcasses behind the dry wall and these clients went running in the other directions. Odor's can be a big tip off.

Yes, Charlie, and that is why we sometimes get calls! There's an odor!

You are welcome Christine. Please stop by some more.

Sarah - I didn't know the A&W stuff as a kid, only the Hot Shoppes. A&W started in 1919, and Marriott's first A&W stand in 1927. He started the Hot Shoppes in the late 40s. I think the last one closed recently, but don't know when.

Water issues of any kind are among the worst for home owners (and associations) to deal with. Water causes so much damage and so many other issues. To borrow a phrase ... it's the "trickle down affect" ...

Glad the home owners were smart enough to contact you and resolve their issue ...

Jay, it's lucky for them that they hired such a knowledgeable home inspector. Keep us posted on this one. I will be curious to know if the condo association makes the necessary repairs on all these units.

Hi Jay - I used to live in a really nice condo community in Orange County CA, but they had some units without any gutters, and one was right next door to us. They had a tiny walled in yard with no drainage, and over time, rainwater soaked the ground and went through the building wall and into the wall between our garages under our units. Both the neighbor and I were sick all the time before we discovered the problem.

She was much much sicker than I was and had to move out while her unit was completely ripped apart inside and repaired. She sold her house without ever moving back in. You'd better believe that the association went around installing gutters on all of the units that lacked one, since she sued to recover her medical bills and repairs! They also drilled drainholes in the walls around yards.

You are correct, locating mysterious odors is challenging and not always successful. I'd say my average is 50/50.

Posted by James Quarello, Connecticut Home Inspector (JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC) over 7 years ago

That's probably about right Jim. I had one a while back that turned out to be related to something I identified on a previous home inspection of the same house, which was fixed, but not correctly. My new search lead me in different directions altogether!

AWESOME JOB! I had a client with a vexing 'odor' problem in a room and I think we figured it out a different way. I noticed some spotting in an overhead light fixture in the bath. When we pulled the cover off, we found some mouse droppings. The conclusion - poor little mouse was permanently stuck somewhere in the ceiling and the odor would eventually go away!

Hi Jay, very interesting technology. I'll have to ask my inspector if he uses it.

Posted by Bob Miller, The Ocala Dream Team (Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty) over 7 years ago

Yes to today's technology & inspectors that use them! I was interested to read what you found but I guess that will be a mystery for now.

I once had a strange odor in a new house that was only there in the summer months. I had EVERYONE in that house & everyone said they could smell 'it' but no one knew where it was coming from. We thought animals had died in the vents, in the walls ??? We tried everything plus some things that we just guessed on & found nothing. Then one day a guy said 'is your sump pump sealed'? Well that was it! A tube of caulk later - no smell. What happened was the ejector pump was not sealed properly & the AC unit was drawing in the smell along the floor. So the smell was there, then gone, then there.

Wow - it sounds like a case for Sherlock Holmes. If not Sherlock Homes, then at least Mighty Mo and his special equipment to the rescue. Thanks for all this info. I love learning about what causes odors and all other home inspection tips. Have a great day!

Isn't it funny how you can almost "see" a leak even when there's no water present? Missing flashing, gutters tipped the wrong way, or a roof directing water right into a dormer or chimney... Your client's defect was the same one that, after decades, rotted out the sillplate in my home. A good inspector and his ol' moisture meter picked that up during my pre-purchase inspection (I wasn't an inspector yet).

Karen - we live in a "booming" market, by comparison to lots of areas around the country. I wish I was making the big bucks here too! I was far busier during the Bush Depression...

Ahola Monique. Very cool to reach out to Hawaii!

Gene - it was somewhat evident because it had rained the night before and there was staining outside. I would have suspected it, but had it not rained even the camera would not have been so demonstrative.

Thank you Wayne! That is a very nice compliment, but I learn as much on this site as you do!

While the thermography tool is impressive, it still was the keen experienced eye that notated the exterior problem first, and knew where to concentrate his investigation to start with. Prior to having this tool, you would still have suspected this problem lied where it did and would have pinpointed it, albeit with a lot more troublesome effort. The point is let's not give this handy tool all the credit. There is no substitute for the experienced keen awareness of the man.